A look at some of college football's biggest scandals

Accusations of NCAA violations at the University of Miami have left some wondering whether the Hurricanes have had one of the dirtiest programs in college football history. The jury is still out, but in the meantime here are 20 famous cases of football teams being hit by scandal. The number of times the NCAA has found the school guilty of major infractions, in all sports, is in parentheses.

1. Southern Methodist (9, tied for most): The Mustangs plunged from the glory days of the Eric Dickerson-Craig James "Pony Express" era to being the only major college football "Death Penalty" victim in NCAA history. The football team didn't saddle up for either the 1987 or 1988 seasons after it was discovered tens of thousands of dollars had been paid out to players.

2. Southern Cal and Reggie Bush (6): The Trojan RB is the only player to give back a Heisman Trophy. USC's transgressions in 2005 weren't far removed from another major in-fraction in 2001, when tutors were caught writing papers for football players.

3. The end of Oklahoma's Barry Switzer era (7): Given his impeccable record on the field, Switzer might have been able to survive the 18 NCAA violations and allegations of Sooner rapes and paid recruits. But then quarterback Charles Thompson was arrested in early 1989 for selling cocaine to an undercover FBI agent.

4. Florida State, aka "Free Shoes University" (7): That nickname stuck when agents were found to have bought more than $6,000 worth of shoes for Seminoles players. There were much higher stakes in 2009, when Bobby Bowden had to vacate 12 victories because of an academic cheating scandal that included athletes from several FSU teams.

5. Eric Ramsey's tapes take down Pat Dye at Auburn (7): The defensive back, motivated in part by what he considered racist restrictions for African-American players, recorded telephone calls between his coaches and a too-generous booster. Then Ramsey shared the chit-chat with 60 Minutes and others, and Dye was out as coach and athletic director in 1992. Fashion note: Ramsey and wife Twilitta wore bulletproof vests at the commencement ceremony.

6. Tattoo blues at Ohio State (4): Jim Tressel wrecked his career when he failed to disclose information about players trading memorabilia for tattoos last season. All that body ink meant it was time to pen a resignation letter.

7. Miami's (Fla.) 1995 Pell Grant scandal (5): Why settle for hundred-dollar handshakes when you can get government money for hundreds of thousands of dollars with bogus grant applications?

8. Arizona State keeps pace with SMU (9): ASU is tied with Southern Methodist for the dubious record of nine major NCAA infractions. No. 9 was assessed to the baseball team in 2010, but the football-related No. 8 was a doozy. The school self-reported that an ASU employee with whom RB Loren Wade was having an affair arranged about $1,100 of illegal benefits. In 2007, Wade was found guilty of second-degree murder for the parking-lot killing of former ASU football player Brandon Falkner, in a fit of jealous rage regarding a girlfriend.

9. The Jackie Sherrill era at Texas A&M (7): The coach wasn't found guilty of infractions, but felt compelled to resign in 1988 after the program was found guilty of improper employment, extra benefits, unethical conduct and lack of institutional control.

11. South Carolina coaches provided steroids (4) : Defensive lineman Tommy Chaikin co-wrote a Sports Illustrated article that detailed his use of steroids while playing for the Gamecocks in the '80s. That led to three coaches pleading guilty to charges of providing the PEDs. Yet none of this was an NCAA violation.

12. Gary Barnett's X-rated recruiting at Colorado (5): Barnett was forced to resign in 2005 after it was learned his recruiting tactics included providing sex, drugs and alcohol to recruits. His bitter end was foreshadowed by a suspension in 2004, for making derogatory comments after kicker Katie Hnida had alleged she had been raped by a Buffalo player.

13. Boston College rolls the dice (0): In 1996, 13 Eagles players were suspended for gambling, including two who had bet against their teammates in the Syracuse game. Neither player was on the field for significant time, but they were proven right when Syracuse won, 45-17.

(Editor's note: An earlier version of item 14 incorrectly stated the reason some players were suspended and the number of players involved.)

14. Butch Davis fired at North Carolina (1): An NCAA notice of allegations involving alleged academic misconduct and players receiving improper benefits led to Davis' dismissal. Fourteen players missed at least one game after the probe began in 2010. The investigation is still pending.

15. Billy Joe Hobert's loan begins Don James' demise at Washington (5): Hobert quarterbacked the 12-0 Huskies to a share of the 1991 national championship but was ruled ineligible during the 1992 season because of a $50,000 loan. The only collateral was his future earning ability in the NFL, an NCAA no-no. The school wasn't penalized, but then more serious violations surfaced regarding giving athletes and recruits excessive meal and entertainment money, and alleged overpaying of players by boosters. When Washington was hit with two years of probation longtime coach James resigned.

16. Wisconsin loses 26 players (7): When a shoe-giveaway scandal hit in 2000, hardest thing for the Badgers was to figure out how to space out all the suspensions so they'd still have enough bodies.

17. Bidding war for Albert Means takes down Alabama(5): Means was shopped around by his high school coach and Alabama booster Logan Young was convicted in 2005 of paying $150,000 to bring him to the Crimson Tide. That put Alabama on probation for five years, in a case that some thought might draw the death penalty.

18. A.J. Green jersey sale at Georgia (6): The receiver sold one game-worn jersey from the Independence Bowl for $1,000 and was suspended for four games. That gave him plenty of time to admire the 23 different versions of his No. 8 jersey that the University of Georgia had for sale online.

19. Army proves military academies aren't exempt from scandal (1): This is reaching back a ways, but the all-time case of football players cheating on exams probably took place at West Point, in 1951. Of the 90 students expelled, 37 were football players for Army, which went from an 8-1 season to a 2-7 year. Trivia note: Army's offensive line was coached by Vince Lombardi.

20. Say, is that UCLA's starting QB parking in a handicapped zone? (6): This one's about cheating the DMV, not the NCAA. In 1999 Bruins QB Cade McNown was one of 19 players charged with illegally acquiring parking permits for the handicapped. Most, including McNown, pleaded no contest. Protestors in wheelchairs greeted one group after a court date with a chant of, "Hey hey, ho ho, parking cheats must go."

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About Reid and Mike

Reid Cherner has been with USA TODAY since 1982 and written Game On! since March 2008.

He has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.

Michael Hiestand has covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY, tackling the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.